74 User Reviews of Voyager of the Seas Cruise Ship

With our trip originating in San Diego, we availed ourselves of
RCL's Air/Sea program. We were traveling with another couple from
the San Diego area. Upon meeting them at the airport and checking
our cruise voucher booklets we discovered that we had been booked
into different hotels for our stay in Miami the night before the
cruise. We anticipated that this error would be taken care of by
RCL personnel when we landed. Unfortunately, we were unable to get
them to rebook us in the same hotel and aren't sure to this day who
made the mistake, RCL or our travel agent.

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Downtown Miami and the hotel was
nice. We had dinner in the hotel restaurant that evening and the
food and service was average. The next morning we were preboarded
at the hotel by RCL staff. This included issuing us our SuperCharge
card/cabin key. The process went quickly and we were pleasantly
surprised that we would not have a long wait in line at the
terminal as we have experienced with past cruises. However, the
wait for the buses used to transfer guests from

the hotel to the terminal was unbearably long. It appeared that RCL
did not have enough busses ready to board what seemed to be a
couple of hundred people or more.

Having sailed previously on two of RCL's ships, we were
expecting a lot. Upon arrival at the terminal and seeing Voyager in
person for the first time we were awed by its size. The Enchantment
was in port that day as well and it appeared to be dwarfed by
Voyager's gigantic presence. Since we were preboarded at the
hotel,we went through the security check and proceeded to an
escalator to the second floor of the terminal to board the ship.
With dozens of passengers on a narrow escalator carrying suitcases,
etc. it seemed like an accident waiting to happen, and it did. So
many people were arriving at the top of the escalator at once that
the ones coming up behind them were forced to push people over like
dominos. Security had to stop the escalator to avoid any serious
injuries. This very serious safety issue needs to be resolved by
terminal authorities before someone is badly injured. Other than
the escalator incident,the new terminal is beautifully designed,
very open and airy and seems to be laid out very efficiently. The
boarding process in general was a good experience.

Once aboard, we were awed by this vessel. The Grand Promenade is
spectacular and the shops excellent. The exercise equipment on
board is all state of the art (although we never found the time to
use it). The three tiered dining room takes your breath away and
the La Scala theatre is magnificent. Actually everything aboard
this ship is state of the art. They even have thier own radio and
TV studio!

Our cabin was aft and was very nice. It has a huge balcony,one
of several to the rear of the ship. From our balcony we were able
to see both the port and starboard sides of the ship when we were
sailing or in port. This was a nice touch and the cabin was the
nicest we have had to date.

We were seated at second seating in the Carmen dining room. Our
table waiter Emme from Hungary was very good although not as good
as the ones were had on previous cruises. His assistant from
Rumania was good also. However,the head waiter was truly a
dissapointment. He introduced himself briefly on the first night
and we really never saw him again until the night before gratuities
were to be extended. On that night he was overly attentive and
pleasant,although you could see it was an act. We deduced that he
may have been "fishing" for a larger tip.

The food was average at best and not up to RCL's usual fare. One
thing that we sorely missed were the flaming deserts and all the
fanfare that goes along with them. This ship had none. The food on
the rest of the ship ranged from below average to average and
although we could not classify any of it as poor, it did come close
at times. A real dissapointment was room service. We ordered
breakfast one morning using the menu that you place on your cabin
door knob. When breakfast didn't arrive for almost 45 minutes past
the time we had indicated I called down to find out what was wrong.
I was told they had too many other passengers to serve. After
another 15 minutes I called again, this time I was told they had
lost our order and would take a new one over the phone. About 15
minutes later our breakfast arrived but it was cold and so was the
coffee. Five minutes later someone was knocking at our cabin door.
We opened it to find a second breakfast order had been delivered.
This one was a least hotter than the first one had been.

Another dissapointment was our cabin attendant. When we arrived
on board we found that our cabin had not yet been cleaned
completely and had to wait to put our things away until she
finished cleaning it. On previous cruises our cabin attendants
always did cute things with towels and pillows on our bed but on
this cruise our cabin attendant did nothing. It was very difficult
to find her to get a bucket of ice and we had to wait, wait, wait,
for everything. One day we needed towels and couldn't find her. We
noticed that the linen storage area was just across the hall from
our cabin and the door was slightly ajar so we went to help
ourselves. When we opened the door there was our cabin attendant
curled up at the bottom of the closet trying to sleep. We woke her
up, she did apologize.

Many of the 'features and amenities' RCL uses to attract
passengers to the Voyager are extra cost items. You will pay to use
the ice skating rink, the rock climbing wall, even the miniature
golf course. In addition, if you choose to dine at the Portofino
restaurant it will cost you an additional $8 a person. While RCL
wants you to feel you are getting more on this ship you will also
be paying for everything you decide to use.

The ports of call were fun, especially Jamaica. Since I had been
to the island eleven times in the past, I knew where to go. So, we
rented a large spacious van and the four of us drove to Montego Bay
and had lunch at the Half Moon. It was a very pleasant day. In
Labadee,everyone spends the day at the beach and it is a very
relaxing affair. However, I must warn you not to even go near the
few shops and the vendors on the so called "private island". To say
that the vendors are agressive is an understatement. You start at
one end of this large building and you walk through a gauntlet of
the most discusting, vile, and agressive vendors I have ever
experienced. The smell in there is horrendous. RCL should be more
careful about who they allow to sell in this area. Absolutely one
of the most nauseating experiences I have ever had and I have
visited several third world countries. I just kept trying to
convince myself that these are poor people trying to make a meager
living and I was able to brush it off as an experience. Cozumel was
very nice and we decided to go shopping for a piece of diamond
jewelry. We were told by the ship's staff that this was one of the
best Caribbean ports to buy gemstones. We found that none of the
shopkeepers would answer our questions about diamonds. We couldn't
get a straight answer about the grading of the
stones,certification, etc. Needless to say we left without buying
any gemstones.

In summation, the Voyager is a very nice ship and it is one that
every cruiser should experience at least once. Would we go again,
possibly, if the price and timing were right. However, we missed
the intimacy that a smaller ship provides and came away from the
whole experience feeling somewhat cold. We felt the ship was way
too big and took away much of the crusing experience for us. We
plan on booking our next cruise on a smaller ship that delivers
better food and better service. Will it be on an RCL ship? There is
a very good possiblity of that since RCL has always provided
excellent service and food on past cruises.

I got to eat lunch on the Voyager of the Seas by Royal Carribean
and let me tell you folks VOYAGER is the most awesome ship you have
ever seen in your entire life. I have been on the Grand Princess
and Destiny before, which were the biggest ships ever built before
the Voyager and this ship is so spectacular you wouldnt believe
it!

Glass domes everywhere and a lot of pyramid glass shapes and
statues all over. High Ceilings and Lots of splashy bright colors
not before seen on Royal Caribbean. SPACE is abundant and the
dining room and theater are amazingly spacious and beautiful. The
entire ship is so wonderful you wouldnt want to leave!

This vessel is by far the most beautiful and best designed ship
I have sailed on. Pictures and video clips that I have seen cannot
show the views I experienced. I can also say that I have not yet
found the words to describe this floating city. May I also add that
I never felt overwhelmed by the size of the ship. It's layout was
very easy to navigate and I was able to master my way around within
the first day. Of course a new ship is not without some areas that
the crew and staff are still trying to perfect. More about that
later, as this is to be expected for a third sailing of a new
ship.

EMBARKATION: RCI still needs to master this procedure. I talked
to many passengers that waited up to three hours to board the ship.
The VIP desk for Crown and Anchor diamond members however reduced
this time to fifteen minutes.

CABINS: Well what does one expect? Yes, they are small. We had
Cat. D9 superior ocean view with private balcony. Yes, the balcony
was indeed private. Though the cabin was just slightly

larger than a standard inside cabin, we had no trouble making it
work. Just enough room for everything.

ROYAL PROMENADE: Measuring 1and1/2 football fields long this was
the focal point of the ship. From snacks to shopping, scheduled
entertainment, sports bar and upper casino. I have only one word
for this area. Intoxicating, no not in the literal sense, I'll save
the other for the Vault.

DINNING ROOMS: Three level dinning room, the Carmen/La
Boheme/Magic Flute. Decorated beautifully with walnut finished
furniture and woodwork. We experience excellent service here. I
suppose this was why I decided not to switch to the 2nd seating I
originally requested. Our waiter also was quick to point out the
best choice for the evening as well as the dishes that have been
experiencing difficulties. The entrees for the most part were very
good, but soups were cold and the dinner did take up to much time
for my attention span. I must also say that I don't care for the
open breakfast and lunch seating. I would have preferred to be at
my table with our waiter. This service was the only one provided at
sea as well, as while in port.

OTHER DINNING: Windjammer and Island Grill. Excellent design, it
was very easy to fill ones plate and find a comfortable place to
sit. My first visit here was the last. I went for breakfast and
found that the food was, "not edible" would be putting it nicely.
This was also later confirmed by other passengers. Johnny Rockets.
Long lines kept me from this restaurant. It is my understanding
that they will begin charging for food here come the first of the
year due to its popularity. Room service. Or lack thereof. They
have a real problem here. It is being delivered to the wrong
cabins. 24 hr. pizzeria? great pie but why do they close at 4
am.

MAIN THEATER: The La Scala. Very good production shows and
special guest appearances. I was more impressed with the theaters
on the Sovereign Class Ships.

CASINO: For those that like slots, this casino is jam packed
with them. Gaming tables include caribbean poker, roulette, craps
and blackjack. Lady luck didn't shine down on me here. However, a
little casual play was in the budget. One other note, the ten
dollar minimum at the blackjack tables is no cheap date. If you
search hard you can find a fun dealer with a smile but many have
left their personalities at the door.

STUDIO B, CENTER ICE: Located on deck 3, this area doubles as an
ice skating rink and RCTV television studio. When not being used
for some of the video productions still being taped for the cruise
lines advertisements it hosts some spectacular professional ice
shows. It also was used for some of the new passenger game shows
that the cruise staff have come up with. The new games were both
unique and exciting. This does appear a lot larger on television
than in person. I estimate the skating area to be about 40'x60'. I
still cant believe the excellent skating considering the size.

THE VAULT: This disco does deserve special recognition. This is
only because it is thoroughly soundproofed. The entrance to this
area is gained through a pair of doors with a neutral zone
in-between. This is so that when the disco door opens, it closes
before one enters the disco through the second door. Considering
its close proximity to the Schooner Bar, it never did intrude on
anyone else's enjoyment. I have to also mention that to open the
doors, you placed the palm of your hand on a switch that resembled
something from Star Trek. A little corny but fun.

OTHER LOUNGES: There are also many other public lounges to meet
everyone's needs. From the piano bar to the jazz bar and from some
more intimate lounges as well as those designed for people
watching. I chose the later and met a lot of new friends that made
the cruise that much more enjoyable. I met people from all around
the world and well, just had fun!

POOL DECK: This would be the only area of the ship that seemed
small. It was cluttered with the stage for the band that played
pool side and when walking around one also got stuck in a bottle
neck. The Solarium pool seemed like the place for the older crowd.
It looked comfortable but wasn't this cruisers style. Also no dome
on it for rainy days.

CRUISE STAFF: They have been very busy fine tuning everything.
This being a 3 sea day cruise I felt that they did not provide
enough activities, however they did try. I did have a drink one
evening with our cruise director Jeff Martin. He did agree that
their are many areas that need improvement and that his staff as
well as all other departments are working hard to make the changes
that are needed. I was also impressed that during the ice show the
final night Jeff remembered me and addressed me by name. How they
can do that with 3500 people on board I'll never know. Jeff's
assistant Ricardo is full of excitement and one can tell he
sincerely loves what he does. I wouldn't be surprised if he is
promoted to cruise director in the near future.

BAR SERVERS: These are the guys and girls that seldom get the
recognition they deserve. Well, people, they make the cruise an
enjoyable experience. Over nine servers remembered me from cruises
dating back well over 5 yrs. At many of the bars I could not buy a
drink all week. I will not mention them as not to get anyone in
jeopardy with their job but drinks were plentiful and free.

OTHER ACTIVITIES They included shore excursions, miniature golf,
inline skating as well as a golf simulator. I did not use any of
these but I am sure they were enjoyed by those who did.

IN SHORT: I enjoyed everything about this cruise. One does need
to remember that the cruise lines are now offering so many things
to do that one must understand that you can no longer do
everything. You have to choose if you would rather be a part of the
pool games or see the ice show. With this attitude you can rest
assured you'll have fun.